You do not need some extravagant and expensive set up to get seeds started early indoors, if you don’t want to; no matter how big or small you want to go everyone uses the same 5 (plus your seeds) basic tools.

Let’s go into what those basic seed starting supplies are and how to choose if you need an extravagant or simple set up.

Let’s Dive in…

Basic Seed Starting Supplies | Seed Starting Indoors

Seed starting in general, is a great way to create you garden exactly how you want it, make sure seedlings are grown organically, and helps you save money over time.

It’s a great skill, and a great practice to have in your garden season routine; plus, when the springtime itch comes in February and March it’s a great way to get your fingers and mind in the dirt again.

That said, the basic seed starting tools you need:

Dirt
Containers
Heat Mats
Light Source
Table or Shelf Unit
Seeds

Dirt

You will need some basic seed starting soil, not potting soil.

Seed starting soil is different than potting soil: seed starting soil is very lightweight and is neutral or inert in terms of fertilizers. Its sole purpose is to be a medium for the seeds to start.

This is important because normal potting soil can harm new roots (that are very fragile) by being too heavy or burn the seedling with its fertilizers, depending on what soil you purchase.

Once seeds have germinated, and grown a few inches, you can then switch to basic potting soil when you ‘up-pot’ them, if you wish.

Containers

There are many choices when it comes to what containers you use to start seeds.

You can use seed starting trays or you can use recycled items made of food safe plastic.

Both work! Seed staring trays are the most commonly used item, and my recommendation is to find reusable seed starting trays.

Burpee (pictured below) sells a good reuseable seed tray that’s made of thicker plastic, so it does not rip, or break throughout the season.

If you want to use recycled containers, examples include: Yogurt cups, strawberry bins, cherry tomato cartons, bottles, solo cups, egg cartons, juice bottles, milk jugs.

Just about anything that is food safe plastic or paper can be used.

Heat Mats

Certain seeds, like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, need extra heat to germinate.

Heat mats are reusable mats that plug into your wall, that are the size of a seed starting try.

They will sit under the tray and provide heat to the soil, so the soil is warm enough for the seed to germinate.

If you are serious about starting your gardens from seeds, purchasing a heat mat or two is recommended.

Light Source

There are many options for a light source: hanging lights, lamps, and lightbulbs. What you buy will be according to what you can afford and how you want to set up your station.

You need to specifically look for Full Spectrum Grow lights, and they are often marketed to houseplants; however, they are the same lights needed for seed starting.

Having a direct light source helps the seeds germinate and grow strong; weak light sources often to lead to ‘leggy’ seedlings.

Leggy seedlings are not a lost cause but tend to be more difficult to handle because they are weaker are more prone to breakage.

Having a light source close to the trays will help avoid the leggy seedling problem, no matter if it’s a lamp or hanging bar lights.

Table or Shelf Unit

You will need a separate table to hold your seed trays and lights on, that does not get traffic. It can be basic, there is not decorating competition here when it comes to seed starting stations.

The goal is to have a place where they are not going to get bumped into or moved frequently. Once they are set up, you should be able to walk away and monitor them as needed.

Some prefer to purchase large, stackable shelf units, but it’s not mandatory to do so.

Some have their seed staring station in their basement, some in their garage, some invest in a greenhouse, but some are going to have to be creative on where they can place this table in their main living space.

So, grabbing a table or shelf unit will have to be according to what you can afford and fit into your living spaces.

Just make sure you can put it off to the side; nothing is more heartbreaking them having your table full of seedlings fall over right before it’s time to plant them outside!

Seeds

This one is a given, of course you need your seeds!

Here is a list of 11 different Heirloom Seed Companies that you can order seed off online: Click Here

Choosing if you need a large or small set up…

You seed starting station will have to reflect your garden budget and how much you plan to start inside.

You can either choose to have an extravagant set up (metal shelves, hanging lights, greenhouses, etc), or you can have a more basic set up such as a card table, a basic light lamp, and some recycled containers.

Truly, I tell you, this will depend on how YOU want to navigate seed starting season, because everyone has to remember that the end of seed starting season (say April-May timeframe) it’s a mess; you have large seedlings flopping everywhere, so many containers to deal with, and you are ready to just chuck the dang things outside and say “tough luck”.

That said, if you need more organization, then I suggest investing in the more expensive gear right from the start, (stacking shelf unit, hanging lights, durable starting trays, a greenhouse, or even a soil block maker, etc) when compared to someone who can handle a bit of mess through this short time frame and use a simple card table, some lamps, a window and recycled containers or trays.

I personally, deal with the mess myself and spend my garden budget towards plant starts and fruit trees.

I, for years, used a card table and a huge bay window with one little plant lamp we had in our old house and was able to get a garden started every year. My kids were little in this house too, so I had to shove this table behind a couch or chair to keep it stable. It was not ideal, but it worked!

But the point of this is: your seeds don’t care what your station looks like so keep the basics of seed soil, containers, direct light source, heat mats, and a stable table.